Dont be a Bully , be a Star...

One of my teachers once told this to me, the following is what she said and I quote ..

"I was taking English lectures for 12th grade and it was my first lecture in that class . I was randomly asking people some basic questions regarding grammar and general knowledge . After asking some 5-6 people , I looked at corner benches and on one of those benches was this quite boy sitting with petrified eyes , praying that I don't ask him . But that's what we , teachers do , ask the boy who we know doesn't have the answer (at least we think that he doesn't have any answer) . He stood up and stood there like a statue . It was first lecture so I spared him . But when this happened 5 times in a row , I lost my cool . I yelled at him in front of whole class and told him to bring his parents the next day as I thought he wasn't paying any attention in class. 

" After college time was over, I was sitting in my classroom doing some paper work and this boy turns up . He is scared to enter but half reluctantly he does . He says " m-m-m-ma'am please don't call my d-d-d-dad .. h-h-h-he will hit me".. and for first time I noticed that he stammered while speaking . I was shocked and slowly it dawned to me why he didn't answer any of my questions in front of class. He was afraid that his class mates would make fun of him later..

"Stammering usually develops at an early age . Nobody is born with it . It is an effect of shouting or hitting the child when he tries to speak (usually due to a an elder male in family). At a young age a child develops fear of speaking in front of anyone thinking he will be hit or scolded by someone . I felt sympathy and guilt .I had a friend who was a psychiatrist . I recommended this boy to attend her seminar and lectures. I never asked him a question in front of class again for few months. After 6-7 months , I was passing by the auditorium , I saw some boys practising for the play from far. What caught my attention was a boy who was playing lead .. he was speaking with superb confidence , his dialogue delivery was phenomenal . His walk , his expressions .. everything was perfect. When he saw me watching , he came running and touched my feet and held my hand and said ,"I don't know how to thank you enough ma'am , you helped me more than anyone in my whole life. You are a true guide" "

This is just one story , there are millions other who suffer from problems like stammering , scared to speak in public . All don't have such a happy ending. All this happens because of few bullies who think it is cool to shout at someone , embarrass someone , crack jokes on their accent , manner of speech , body language . Due to this , people who have some amazing talent are scared to show up in public . You may not be doing it intentionally but it affects that person a lot . Please think about your actions , while it may make 50 laugh , it destroys someone's self confidence .

Don't be a Bully , be a Star... help someone recover from their old scar..

Dedicated ,
To all the people who think they are underdogs ,
To my teacher ,
To my friends ,

Thank You For Reading ,

From,

Hetansh Shah a.k.a Hetu :]